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Tuesday, 24 April 2018

Nuclear isotopes help to sustain agriculture and good farming

The main goal of innovation and the development of new
technologies is to make our lives better and safer. Technology can be regarded
as a primary source of economic development and the various technological
changes contribute significantly to the development of emerging countries. Nuclear
technology is no exception. Nuclear science and technologies have various
peaceful applications to offer. They can help countries to produce more food,
treat serious diseases and protect water resources among other uses. Nuclear
science developments cover nearly all areas of the Sustainable Development
Goals, set by the United Nations to spur global development by 2030.

Let us explore some examples.

Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar were among the pioneers
to use nuclear radiation to win the fight against tsetse fly.

The nuclear based sterile insect technique (SIT)
played a fundamental role in totally eradicating the tsetse fly population on
the island. SIT is a form of insect pest control that involves the
mass-breeding and sterilization of male tsetse flies using ionizing radiation
in special facilities. The sterile males are released systematically from the
ground or by air in tsetse-infested areas, where they mate with wild females,
which do not subsequently produce offspring.

The results were impressive. Since 2014 socio-economic
studies have shown that the total number of local cattle breeds have increase
by more than 35%. That made it possible for local farmers to earn more than 20%
of their total income from the livestock business.

The sterile insect technique saves countries many
millions of dollars per year and protects farmers’ livelihoods.

“The removal of the tsetse fly has been one of the
most important achievements to enhance agriculture and improve the livelihoods
of farmers in the last 20 years,” said Khalfan Saleh of the Ministry of
Agriculture, who oversaw the national eradication campaign.

“The elimination of nagana has resulted in a reduction
in abortion rates in cattle, calf mortality and an increase in meat and milk
production as well as an increase in numbers of crossbred cows,” Saleh said.

Nuclear technologies are indispensable in achieving
food security.

With nuclear technologies farmers have learned to
develop new varieties of crops, which are higher-yielding and more resistant to
drought andvarious plant diseases.

By applying radiation in the laboratory, scientists
accelerate the spontaneous mutation process that occurs in nature all the time.
They can develop new varieties of crops very quickly. This does not involve
genetic modification of the plants.

The examples are striking. In Benin, soybean farmers were
able to triple their income using the benefits of nuclear irradiation. The
implementation of isotopic techniques also makes it easy to regulate the amount
of nitrogen in the soil, which is necessary for healthy plant growth.

“The
irradiation does not make the plant radioactive, like a medical X-ray does not
make a person radioactive,” said Ljupcho Jankuloski, a plant breeder at the
Vienna-based Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, run
jointly by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He noted that the method has been
used worldwide for more than 70 years and has generated over 3,200 crop
varieties. Mr. Jankuloski has been helping a team of scientists in Central
African Republic to boost cassava (manioc) production. Cassava mosaic virus
affects an estimated 85 percent of cassava plants, disfiguring leaves, stunting
growth, and sometimes destroying the root entirely. In response, irradiation
techniques derived from nuclear science are being used to create healthier
cassava strains that could better resist diseases and boost yields
significantly. Ephrem Kosh-Komba, vice dean of the science faculty at the
University of Bangui (CAR) says: “nuclear knowledge can actually help humanity
through development projects”.

Making use of radiation technologies Tanzania
significantlyenhanced its crop productivity, for instance banana seedings have
been multiplied through radiation-induced mutation. The technique improved
varieties of basic crops such as rice and bananas shielded from viruses and
insects. The implementation of modern methods in securing crop productivity is
quite important for Tanzania, as over 70% of the citizens depend on agriculture
to survive, and it accounts nearly for roughly 25% of the GDP.

Overall, the level of technology development is one of
the most important features of country’s economic growth. Rapid and sustainable
growth can only be achieved through a high level of innovation and its
integration into society and the economy. Schumpeter observed that innovation
or technological progress is the only determinant of economic progress. It is
technological progress which keeps the economy moving. And nuclear science is
an indispensable part of that progress.